Suspension lift vs combo body/susp.

[ScottyP]

Are the handling characteristics of a truck with a 3.5 suspension lift significantly different from a truck with a 2.5 suspension and a 1 inch body lift?

 

[DirtDonk]

No. At least not as much as in the old days perhaps.

The actual spring rates between a 2.5 and 3.5 suspension setup (at least ours at Wild Horses) are not significantly different.
While a body lift does raise the center of gravity with it's height, without compensating for it any other way, it's not by enough to create a noticeable extra lean given the reasonable spring rates and shock valving.
And speaking of which... Shocks can and still do have a lot to do with the overall road handling and feel of any vehicle. Especially those like ours.

Some use a slight savings in money to decide to do the suspension and body combination, but my recommendation for it doesn't save any money, and is just slightly more with the body lift.
The advantage is two-fold (well, three-fold maybe) though.

1. the body lift gives you just a little bit more room to work, or to fit larger items like transmissions or taller engine accessories for fuel injection and larger distributors and such. That's a decent feature/benefit all on it's own.
2. If you're replacing old worn out body mounts anyway, adding the 1" lift only costs about 30 bucks more and you're done in one step.
3. The third thing is that, for those that are not quite as picky about their road manners as some of us, you actually can save money by not purchasing a dropped pitman arm or trackbar bracket. The traditional thinking was that steering correction was not needed for 2.5" lifts. But I disagree and will usually recommend adding them, along with an adjustable draglink to fine-tune your steering after a suspension lift.
Or at the very least, keep it in mind so that if you're not quite satisfied with how it works after the lift, you're ready to get the new parts and not stressing over something that "you didn't know you needed" or however you want to look at it.

So, long way around answering your question that, with the scenario you put forth, there is not a big difference.
And if you have not been driving your Bronco for years before doing the work, you likely will not be able to tell ANY difference between the two setups.

Paul

 

[ScottyP]

No. At least not as much as in the old days perhaps.

The actual spring rates between a 2.5 and 3.5 suspension setup (at least ours at Wild Horses) are not significantly different.
While a body lift does raise the center of gravity with it's height, without compensating for it any other way, it's not by enough to create a noticeable extra lean given the reasonable spring rates and shock valving.
And speaking of which... Shocks can and still do have a lot to do with the overall road handling and feel of any vehicle. Especially those like ours.

Some use a slight savings in money to decide to do the suspension and body combination, but my recommendation for it doesn't save any money, and is just slightly more with the body lift.
The advantage is two-fold (well, three-fold maybe) though.

1. the body lift gives you just a little bit more room to work, or to fit larger items like transmissions or taller engine accessories for fuel injection and larger distributors and such. That's a decent feature/benefit all on it's own.
2. If you're replacing old worn out body mounts anyway, adding the 1" lift only costs about 30 bucks more and you're done in one step.
3. The third thing is that, for those that are not quite as picky about their road manners as some of us, you actually can save money by not purchasing a dropped pitman arm or trackbar bracket. The traditional thinking was that steering correction was not needed for 2.5" lifts. But I disagree and will usually recommend adding them, along with an adjustable draglink to fine-tune your steering after a suspension lift.
Or at the very least, keep it in mind so that if you're not quite satisfied with how it works after the lift, you're ready to get the new parts and not stressing over something that "you didn't know you needed" or however you want to look at it.

So, long way around answering your question that, with the scenario you put forth, there is not a big difference.
And if you have not been driving your Bronco for years before doing the work, you likely will not be able to tell ANY difference between the two setups.

Paul

Very helpful. Thanks.

 

[Whoaa]

My preference is both. A modest body lift, plus the suspension lift.

The 1" body lift does amazing things to square & true the body on the frame, because you're using new mounts. But doesn't create the tell-tale noticable gap at the bumpers that a 3" body lift does.

No two Bronco's are the same, often times shims are needed at some, but not all, body mounts to have perfect fitting doors and front fenders.

Take some measurments, and pictures, and closely look at the door alingment, gap, and seal *before* removing the old mounts.
Then make sure to notice the shim stacks at each body mount location when removing the old/factory mounts to give you an idea of what needs done when re-mounting the body.

Having perfect fitting doors doesn't happen by accident, its a pet peeve of mine! It requires patients and meticulous work.

 

[Glass Pony]

I like having the body lift also. It saved my ass a few times working on the Bronco.
Here is some I can remember.

Installing new detent balls and springs in the Dana 20.
Was able to remove the heads on my 351W and install new gaskets without removing the power brake booster.
I had an issue with a block drain and was able to go in between the frame and body with a 12" long drill bit to drill and tap it out.

 

[707Bronk]

I too love the 1" body lift. Even though it doesn't sound like much it makes working on things soo much easier and I didn't notice any difference in handling.

 

[Scoop]

Like Dirtdonk said, the answer to your question is No. That said I too prefer a combo of SL and BL. However when comparing a 2 1/2 to a 3 1/2 I'm going to recommend going with the 3 1/2 SL now. Then you have the option of adding a 1 inch BL if you need a little more later (when you to bigger tires as we all eventually do!!)

 

[SHX669]

Every EB deserves a 1" body lift !

 

[Timmy390]

SL and BL

My 1 inch BL was closer to 2 inches because the old bushings had pancaked.

Tim

 

[navalbronco66]

Somewhat off subject, but still in line with the overall subject on lifts. How much articulation should I account for in the front suspension. I have the wild horses 3.5 lift coils and wanted a ball park figure as to how much should the front of the bronco drop when going over a dip, speed bump, etc.. I was thinking I could make spacers or custom bump stops to control that drop over obstacles? I'm going with a custom motor setup and need to see how much space I need between my oil pan and the front diff.

I only had like an inch or two, and I currently took off the oil pan and am in the market for a new low profile one. But just needed an opinion as to how much does the front dip when going over general everyday obstacles.

 

[DirtDonk]

I wish I had hard data on that naval. I'm sure it exists from testing over the years, but I don't know that I've ever seen it posted up.
But surely more than that inch you had before!!!!! That would definitely have been a case of "re-shaping" the old oil pan.

What engine setup are you going to run? Is it substantially heavier than normal? Or at least what passes for "normal" around here.
I think the biggest drop you would normally see on the road would be two things:
1. A big whoop-de-doo on a highway at speed, or...
2. A steep speed bump at speed.

Normal speed bumps are not an issue, but some super steep ones can really compress a suspension if you're not ready.
Bump stops definitely help, but it's hard to get them just right on an EB it seems.

I'm going to say you want at least 3" between the pan and diff, but more would be better.

Good luck. Interested in hearing what others have. Unfortunately with my engine out I can't get you an actual measurement of what's worked well for me all these years.

Paul

 

[navalbronco66]

I'd rather not say what engine combo I'm going with, for fear I might upset the villagers. But I was thinking 3-6 inches would be good. I'm thinking of of replacing the front bump stops with the air bump stops that come in a tube. I think this would give me a great way of preventing the front diff from shattering my oil pan. I haven't really seen any of those tube bump stops on early Broncos, just on Heeps.

 

[DirtDonk]

A few have been tried, some with more success than others. It's a great product, but we run into the same thing with them as with many other things. Packaging...
It's just hard to fit them where they need to be, because something else always seems to be occupying the same space already!
They can work though. Just gotta figure things out in advance and work around what you've got.

Paul

 

[Scoop]

I'd rather not say what engine combo I'm going with, for fear I might upset the villagers.

. . . . .

LS Alert! LS Alert! (Sound of air-raid sirens in the background)

;D

 

[navalbronco66]

LS Alert! LS Alert! (Sound of air-raid sirens in the background)

;D

"Get a rope!" But yes already have it, the 4L65, along with NP 231 already bolted in between the frame. Just working out minor issues as they come up, the oil pan is probably the biggest issue. Have one off a Camaro on the way that should give me enough clearance.

 

[navalbronco66]

A few have been tried, some with more success than others. It's a great product, but we run into the same thing with them as with many other things. Packaging...
It's just hard to fit them where they need to be, because something else always seems to be occupying the same space already!
They can work though. Just gotta figure things out in advance and work around what you've got.

Paul

I was looking at the Daystar stinger bump stops which actually use foam inserts. They include a variety of foams so you can decide how firm you want them. The bump stops are Available in a range of extended / collapsed lengths. Watching some YouTube videos and some guys mount them so that their front control arms quickly contacts the bump stop during a bump etc..the bump stop then dictates how hard you feel the bump. It seemed effective, granted we have a front diff, but I was thinking I could buy them long enough so that the front diff quickly bumps into the bump stop. The bump stop will then control the impact and hopefully save me from shattering the oil pan.

I still got some time before I decide what I'm going to do, I still need to build the front tie rod end bars and drag link, along with bolting in my borgeson power steering box I got a few weeks ago.